Smoking Popes – Live At Stafford Redrum

It’s been roughly three whole decades since the Smoking Popes graced the shores of the UK, that’s a long gap by anyone’s standards, but they’re finally here and that’s all that matters. Their short and eccentric run of UK dates kicked off at this years Rebellion Festival, you can read the full review of that day here, and then onto the 100 capacity Salty Dog in leafy Cheshire, which I attended as that ended up being the nearest date to my hometown. That was a gloriously sweaty and joyous experience, although I suspect the Smoking Popes all started getting deja vu from being asked not to leave it 30 years next time. There was a feeling of communion about that show as the dedicated crammed into a venue they could have sold out many times over. Then they went on a truly random trek across the UK which weirdly avoided most of the major cities. Such was the impact of the opening two dates I’m returning to catch them one last time, on the final date of their tour before they depart for Chicago.

I’ve been attending punk shows since the age of 15, this isn’t the first band I’ve seen after a sizeable gap, but it is one of the few that seems to have matured nicely over the years, their latest single, Golden Moment, alone should be enough evidence of this. This line up features a few changes but the touring members have blended in seamlessly with the powerhouse drums of Mike Femulee and the honeyed vocals of Josh Caterer. When you add their modest stage presence and their genuine sense of joy at the reception they’ve received in the UK, and couple this with a fitting acknowledgement of their back catalogue, going right back to the material they were promoting on their last UK tour, you have an unmissable experience. This was so unmissable that when offered the opportunity to catch them one more time there was no thought of distance or time, just an automatic HELL YEAH. But now let’s get into the meat and potatoes of the final night of the Smoking Popes UK tour.

First up tonight are Shackleford who have been on our radar for a while, but our paths haven’t crossed until tonight, so this is a more than welcome bonus. Shackleford open the night with a hit of gruff melodic punk that warms up the early evening crowd that are still filtering into the venue. To me they’re reminiscent of Off with Their Heads, but if they were in a really good mood and decided to head in a slighter poppier direction. Shackleford kick things off in fine style, and like the headliners they prove that good things are worth waiting for, thankfully it’s not been thirty years in his case. 

Southhampton’s Slackrr have been support throughout the Smoking Popes headline jaunt which means this is the second time I’ve caught them and the trio once more deliver a raw set of scuzzy punk pop that hits all the right notes. Catching Slackrr for the second time in a week is no hardship and they seem to be just as effervescent as they did almost a week ago when this eccentric jaunt around the UK kicked off. They deliver a joyful soundtrack that carries a pro social message, especially on the wonderful Holding On and the anthemic Lie To Me. Tonight is their 688th show, an odd anniversary to announce, but as good as any I suppose. 

The sun is setting as the Smoking Popes take the stage for the final time on this long overdue UK tour, and there’s one more chance for the dedicated to revel in the Smoking Popes finally returning to the UK, and there are more than few familiar faces from previous dates on the tour who area ready to dance and sing like, well, like it’s the the final date of a tour that those assembled have been waiting three decades for. Kicking off with Midnight Moon and No More Smiles, the sound is perfect and the atmosphere is warm, in all aspects of the term, and there’s a lot of love flowing between the band and the crowd.

Appropriately Let’s Hear It For Love gets an outing, and given the relationship that’s been forged between the Smoking Popes and their UK fan base there couldn’t be a more appropriate song title. This final night of the tour is one the friendliest shows I’ve attended since, well, since the Northwich show just a few days ago, but it has been an exceptionally welcoming tour where the dedicated have made their way to various (mostly) obscure outposts around the UK. I think I can safely say that everyone present tonight would doubtless have their own personal perfect set list for this tour, but it must be said that the selections tonight have probably hit the mark on most peoples wish list, from a frantic Rubella to the more heartfelt Seven Lonely Days and Megan, the moments are perfectly picked.

There are moments of relative tranquility and introspection amongst the fiery punkier moments that marks them out, and the fact that these are just as joyously received speaks volumes, no one is going to the bar or talking to their friends during the quieter moments, the focus remains firmly on the stage and the voices remain just as strident. As this year is the 30th anniversary of Born To Quit there are of course a few more than welcome inclusions from this landmark album, but this isn’t just a nostalgia trip, the Smoking Popes confirmed they have finished recording their new album that is due out next year, they also confirmed they will be returning to the UK again next year. We must have made a good impression despite the urban disorder that broke out this week, maybe avoiding the major cities wasn’t such a bad idea after all!

Their latest single, Golden Moment, sums up the night perfectly, not just lyrically but also as this track is up there with my favourites from their back catalogue, not something I often say of a band who’ve been around for more than thirty years. I previously mentioned that everyone would have their perfect set list, one dedicated fan has trekked across the villages, towns and cities of the UK for every date of this tour, and for him he gets to choose his song and we get First Time, played solo by Josh Caterer, which is a tearjerking moment, this is followed by what is revealed to be it’s sequel, as “it was written about the same girl”, Pretty Pathetic. This is followed by Pure Imagination and of course Need You Around before I Know You Love Me brings the final show of a long overdue tour to an end. I’m already counting the days to their return in 2025.

On a sad note Love Equals Death were due play this show tonight, I was advised by the venue that they’d had too pull out and I didn’t think anything of it, these things happen all the time for various reasons. The day after I found out the sad news that the band’s lead singer Chon Travis passed away on the day of this concert. The Punk Site sends its condolences to his friends, family and his band mates. You can donate via GoFundMe to help out Chon’s family.